The Valorant Champions Tour 2025 is all about excitement: Which teams will surprise, who will fall early and who will make it to the Grand Champions Final in Paris? Find out which decisions have shaped the tournament so far!
Stage 1 of the Valorant Champions Tour 2025 is in full swing and the teams for the semi-finals have been confirmed.
The international EMEA league has been running since January 15 and has already seen some surprising successes and exciting matches.
Find out which teams have made it through to the semi-finals and how they have performed so far.
From The Fall Of The Favourites To The Rise Of The Underdog
One of the biggest surprises of the tournament so far has been the early exit of Team Fnatic.
The reigning winners of Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the EMEA League 2024 had to bow out of the upper bracket of the tournament at a surprisingly early stage.
They lost 2-1 to Turkish professional team BBL Esports in an extremely exciting match.
The choice of map was crucial: BBL chose Abyss for the first round, Fnatic chose Fracture for the second round, and the deciding match took place on Split.
— BBL (@BBL_esports) January 17, 2025
BBL dominated the first round with a commanding 13-8, before Fnatic fought back with the same score in the second.
In the third round, Fnatic took a commanding 9-3 lead. However, anyone familiar with the dynamics of Valorant Esports knows that such leads do not always hold.
BBL Esports managed to turn the match around and win 13-10. This was the first big surprise of the tournament so far and the fans were thrilled.
Fnatic Continues To Fight In The Lower Bracket
Thanks to the double elimination system, Fnatic are not out of the tournament yet.
In the lower bracket, they faced NAVI (Natus Vincere), who had previously lost to French team Karmine Corp.
Fnatic won 2-1 to advance to the second round of the lower bracket.
On January 24, Gentle Mates, the winners of Ascension 23, and the Spaniards from Movistar KOI will decide who Fnatic's next opponent will be.
One thing is for sure: the road to the finals will be an exciting one!
Die-hard fans will already know it: Liquipedia Valorant has all the latest news, the latest events and interesting information about the Esport teams!
Semi-Finals In The Upper Bracket
The following semi-final pairings have now been confirmed for the Upper Bracket:
- FUT Esports vs. Team Vitality
- BBL Esports vs. Team Heretics
The first pairing is no big surprise. Both FUT Esports and Team Vitality were already favourites due to their participation in the Champions Event 2024 and were able to skip the first round.
Both teams came out on top in the second round: FUT Esports defeated Team Liquid, the EMEA winners of 2023, 2-0, while Team Vitality beat Karmine Corp 2-1.
Team Heretics also got off to a great start and advanced to the second round with a win over Gentle Mates.
Meanwhile, BBL Esports, who started the tournament as the underdogs, proved themselves to be serious contenders when they defeated Fnatic to reach the semi-finals.
By reaching the semi-finals, all four teams have a great chance of picking up important championship points:
The top two teams from EMEA Stage 1 will also secure a place at the international Masters event in Bangkok.
So mark your calendars for January 29 - two epic semi-finals await you!
Finals Not Unrealistic Even In The Lower Bracket
In the double elimination system, the teams in the lower bracket still have a chance to qualify for the final.
The winner of the lower bracket will play against the second place from the upper bracket.
If the team wins, they will advance to the Grand Final where they will face the winner of the Upper Bracket for the Stage 1 EMEA League title.
Fnatic and GIANTX, a Spanish team that lost to BBL in the first round, have so far prevailed in the lower bracket.
ABSOLUTE CINEMA @kaajakval pic.twitter.com/ReitC0mZBd
— FNATIC (@FNATIC) January 23, 2025
The next matches are scheduled for the January 30: Fnatic will take on the winner of the Gentle Mates vs. Movistar KOI clash, while GIANTX will face either Team Liquid or Ascension 24 winners Apeks.
While the Ascension teams are considered to be exceptionally strong, they are still the underdogs of the league.
Only 2 of the 12 teams in the EMEA league come from the Ascension tournaments, while the other 10 teams are officially affiliated with VCT and Riot Games.
For the Ascension teams, it's all about prestige and promotion to the EMEA League.
However, upsets are not uncommon among the Ascension teams, so excitement is guaranteed.
Which team is your favourite? Who do you think has the best chance of winning Stage 1? Let us know in the comments!